Coaching of the Squads is by paid coaches with one primary coach assigned to the Senior Squad and one for the Junior Squad, additional casual coaches are employed to cover absences and when sessions overlap.
Our squads swim at various times as outlined in the weekly swimming timetable
Squad swimming is available to any club member who is keen to race, is committed to training and is prepared to pay the extra coaching fees and pool door entry. Placement in a squad will be made if there is space in a squad that suits the swimmers ability.
All queries relating to moving into a squad or fees should be addressed to Viv Morton phone 027 645-1146 or .
If you have any other queries you can either contact the coach or the nominated Squad Liaison club member, details are on our contacts page.
Our squad structure is as follows:
- Tadpoles, an introductory squad getting the swimmers ready to move into one of the competitive training squads. There is a big focus on technique and developing the basic skills needed before being able to efficiently race.
- Seals Squad, the focus of the Seals squad is stroke development and teaching all four competitive strokes, Individual Medley (IM), and starts and turns through positive reinforcement and immediate feedback. Swimmers are expected to continue developing self-discipline, respect for coaches and swimmers, as well as age-appropriate social skills in a team environment.
- Swordfish Squad, the program focus of the Swordfish squad builds on skill development, stroke construction, and refinement. Swimmers are introduced to interval sets, effort, and pace management.
- Sharks Squad, the program focus of the Sharks squad devotes great attention to all four strokes and Individual Medley (IM) refinement. Starts, turns, transitions and finishes receive significant attention. Short-course racing demands an emphasis on underwater work.
- Orcas Squad, the program focus of the Orcas squad is on swimming biomechanics with attention to every detail in stroke refinement and racing techniques. The backbone of the structure is Individual Medley (IM) training. PCA believes the age group swimming focus should be to develop all-around swimmers. IM training addresses that effectively. Swimmers are assessed individually and attention goes into building around the strengths while, at the same time, diligently working on improving swimmers’ weaknesses.
- Senior Squad – This is a competitive squad and is generally for college age swimmers with appropriate skills. Younger swimmers may be accepted at the discretion of the coach and club.
An information sheet with more information about the Squad structure, expectations and progression is available here.
